Portable concrete batch plant



July 28, 1959 R. 3. Ross ETAL' PORTABLE CONCRETEBATCH PLANT 2 Sheets$heet 1 Filed Feb. 8. 1957 RubenBa/iver Ross Robert Harlsel/ Ross IN VEN TORA? mafi- Aumuy July 28, 1959.

Filed Feb. 8, 1957 R. B. ROSS ET AL PORTABLE CONCRETE BATCH PLANT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3

Ruben Bolivar Ross Robert Har/sel/ Ross INVENTORS BY M Hm United States atent C) PORTABLE CONCRETE BATCH PLANT Ruben Boliver Ross and Robert Hartsell Ross, Brownwood, Tex.

Application February 8, 1957, Serial No. 639,047

1 Claim. (Cl. 198-53) This invention relates to a portable concrete batch plant which fills a highly necessary need in the readymix concrete art in that the invention may be pulled to a desirable location near a source of raw material'or near the location where a large quantity of concrete will be needed and thus saves a great deal of trouble and expense in moving ready-mix trucks over long distances.

The primary object of the present invention resides in the provision of a portable concrete batching plant which has novel means for rendering the plant portable.

The construction of this invention features a novel means of attaching a rear axle and wheels to the rear or frame of the portable concrete batching plant. Utilizing the invention are novel angle iron members welded to the axle which cooperate with a clevis or pin and channel members on the frame of the portable concrete batching plant for detachably mounting the axle and wheels.

Another highly advantageous feature of the invention lies in the provision of the novel frame for the portable concrete batching plant which carries the motor in a manner so as to be shielded from the material carried by the conveyor, by the conveyor itself, and which is mounted directly above the front axle so as to be readily supported without providing any great weight on a fulcrum removed from the axle and which drive motor is positioned in a suitable manner for driving engagement with the conveyor.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in the provision of a portable concrete batching plant that is simple in construction, capable of being manufactured for distribution to the trade at a comparatively low cost in view of the great savings it will impart in the use thereof, and which is substantially foolproof in operation.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this portable concrete batching plant, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the portable concrete batching plant comprising the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale and taken along the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a partial longitudinal vertical sectional view of the invention as taken along the plane of line 44 in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional detail view illustrating the particulars of construction of the demountable axle; and

Figure 6 is a partial longitudinal sectional detail view illustrating the construction of the detachable axle and further illustrating in Figure 6 how the hopper frame may be raised to permit the axle to be properly positioned or to be removed.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate similar "ice parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 generally designates the portable batching plant comprising the present invention. This portable batching plant includes a frame 12 of any particular construction having a hopper 14 suspended therein in a conventional man- 'ner and provided with a manually operated gate 16 having controls 18 provided therefor. Also mounted on the frame 12 and associated with the hopper 14 are scales having a direct reading indicator 20 mounted on the frame 12.

. The portable concrete batching plant 10 further in cludes an elongated elevator 24 including a belt conveyor 26. The elevator 24 is rigidly tied to the frame 12 as at 28 which makes for a stable unit and increases the ease of handling in that the front end of the elevator reduces the load When lifting'the hopper unit. The rigid attachment also enables the unit to be easily portable without swinging or swaying during the time it is moving. Supporting the upper end of the elevator 24 is a'frarnework 30 of generally V-shape. A support 32 is secured to the framework 39 and to the elevator and carries a motor 34, the support 32 extending substantially horizontal. The framework 30 is secured to an axle 36 on which the wheels 38 are mounted. A tongue 40 is secured to the axle 36 and makes the unit easily portable when pulled by a tractor, trailer or pickup.

The motor 34 is positioned directly over the axle 36 rendering the weight of the motor thus directly supporting the weight of the motor 34 in an advantageous manner.

The motor 34 drives a shaft 44 on which a pulley 46 is mounted, the pulley having an endless belt 48 entrained thereabout which is also entrained about a pulley 50 on a shaft 52 which is also provided with a sprocket wheel 54 about which an endless chain 56 is entrained, the endless chain being entrained about a pulley 58 on a roller or shaft 60 about which the conveyor belt is entrained.

The endless belt 26 is supported by suitable rollers 62 and is entrained about a rear roller 64.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 5 and 6, it will be noted that one of the important features of the invention becomes evident upon an inspection of the frame construction. The frame 12 is generally constructed of channel members and has welded or otherwise afiixed thereto a pair of transverse channel members 72 and 74. Adjacent each end of an axle 76 having wheels 77 rotatable thereon are pairs of angle irons 78 and 80 which are welded thereto. A clevis or pin 82 extends through alined apertures in the angle members 78 and 80 and in the channel members 72 and 74 so as to detachably hold the axle 76 in position. An eye is welded to the frame 12 where a lifting device such as a front end loader may be tied to the device so that the axle 76 may be installed or removed.

In use, the elevator 24 carries the dry batch material at a suitable elevation to fall into the ready mix truck through the open end as at 100. The motor 34 is in a position so as to be protected from loose material in the dry batch mix and may be easily started or serviced in the position where it is located.

The elevator frame is of a rigidly braced construction to enable the unit to be moved without swinging or swaying as it is pulled over a road.

The scale 20 is in a position where the hopper can be loaded with material with a front end loader and the scale or weight of the material may be easily seen by the operator of the front end loader.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly-all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A portable concrete batch plant comprising an elongate elevator having an endless conveyor mounted thereon including an upper flight extending substantially the full length of the elevator, a supporting framework fixed to an intermediate portion of said elevator and depending therefrom, a pair of wheels secured to said supporting framework at the lower end thereof supporting said elevator in forwardly, upwardlyinclined relation, a motor mounted on said supporting framework U beneath said elevator and drivingly connected to said endless conveyor, an open, generally rectangular hopper frame fixed to the rear end of said elevator and including a base having a pair of side members straddling said rear end of the elevator and disposed at an acute angle with respect thereto, said hopper frame also including corner uprights rising perpendicularly from said side members with the forward uprights straddling said rear end of the elevator whereby the rear extremity of said elevator is confined within said hopper frame, a

-2,s96,770 r i 4 t hopper mounted in said hopper frame and including a gravity discharge spout for discharging concrete into the lower end of said upper conveyor flight, the angularity of said base of the hopper frame with respect to the elevator being such as to permit said base to rest fiat upon the supporting surface for the batch plant, a removable wheeled axle assembly for supporting the rear of said batch plant, and means carried by said base for the hopper frame and said wheeled axle assembly and detachably interengaged to locate said axle assembly in supporting relation to said batch plant, said means including pairs of uprights fixed to said axle assembly providing saddles, and leg elements fixed to said hopper frame received within said saddles, whereby the rear of the batch plant may be elevated to disengage the same from said wheeled axle assembly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

